The sleepy suburban shopping centre at North Rocks is home to The Rocks Pantry, a surprisingly stylish cafe with copper pendant lights and a contemporary fitout, full of locals and families when we visited on a weekend.
It’s dreary and cold, so we go straight for their Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pie (from their weekly specials blackboard menu) and are pleasantly surprised to find a deconstructed pie with a thin sliver of flaky puff pastry on top of a big bowl of creamy chicken and mushroom “filling”. It’s actually quite soup-like and is comforting, if more fragrant than I expected. The dish comes with a stack of thick-cut chips seasoned with rosemary, which goes well dunked in the creamy filling.
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pie, $15.50
We also tried their Chorizo and Prawn Pasta (with your choice of penne or fettucine) – I went for the penne as its easier to share. The pasta is much lighter than the pie, with the penne tossed casually with quite a few juicy prawns, nubbins of chorizo, some rocket, cherry tomatoes as well as caramelised onion and some feta for a flavour hit. It’s not particularly saucy for a pasta, but balanced out the richness of our other dish.
Chorizo and Prawn Pasta, $19.50
The Rocks Pantry is one of the more sophisticated eateries at North Rocks Shopping Centre – if you find yourself in the area, its modern decor and reasonably priced dishes are great for grabbing a casual bite.
Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of The Rocks Pantry
The Rocks Pantry
Shop 92, Level 1, North Rocks Shopping Centre
328 North Rocks Rd, North Rocks NSW 2151
Phone: (02) 9872 4447
